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Mexico City-set dark comedy Chicuarotes revolves around teenagers living on the edge of a tourist lake.

Mexican actor, director and producer Gael Garcia Bernal is hoping to shoot his second feature Chicuarotes early next year about a group of teenagers growing up by Xochimilco Lake in Mexico City.

Speaking to ScreenDaily, Bernal said: “The film will follow a group of kids - around 14, 15 years-old - who live by the lake. They’re economically poor but not miserable or unhappy, basically living in paradise.

“The narrative of the film follows their dreams of moving up economically and socially. They want to stop working and make lots of money. I can’t tell you now how they attempt to do this but it’s a comedy - a very dark comedy.”

Bernal spoke to Screen on the fringes of the Doha Film Institute’s inaugural Qumra meeting, aimed at nurturing projects by filmmakers in Qatar, across the Middle
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Mexico City-set dark comedy revolves around teenagers living on the edge of a tourist lake.

Mexican actor, director and producer Gael Garcia Bernal is hoping to shoot his second feature Chicuarotes early next year about a group of teenagers growing up by Xochimilco Lake in Mexico City.

Speaking to ScreenDaily, Bernal said: “The film will follow a group of kids - around 14, 15 years-old - who live by the lake. They’re economically poor but not miserable or unhappy, basically living in paradise.

“The narrative of the film follows their dreams of moving up economically and socially. They want to stop working and make lots of money. I can’t tell you now how they attempt to do this but it’s a comedy - a very dark comedy.”

Bernal spoke to Screen on the fringes of the Doha Film Institute’s inaugural Qumra meeting, aimed at nurturing projects by filmmakers in Qatar, across the Middle
»

The Doha Film Institute has recruited a high-caliber roster of industry reps, including Toronto topper Cameron Bailey, Wild Bunch chief Vincent Maraval, and prominent British indie producer Mike Downey, for the imminent first edition of its Qumra event dedicated to fostering new Arab cinema which blends creative workshop, industry networking, and festival elements.

More than 100 industryites, some from leading European and Asian fests, including Cannes, Venice, Karlovy Vary, Locarno, Sarajevo and Busan are heading for Qumra, along with sales company execs from outfits including Elle Driver, Fortissimo Films, Memento Films, Wide, and Danny Glover’s New York-based Louverture Films, repped by COO Joslyn Barnes. Also making the trek from New York will be Joana Vicente, head of the Independent Filmmmakers Project (Ifp).

The innovative shindig is named after the Arabic word “qumra,” from which the word “camera” is believed to have originated.

Gael Garcia Bernal has been confirmed as a Qumra Master for the Doha Film Institute’s inaugural Qumra film initiative, which takes place March 6-11.

Twenty-three feature films, 4 feature docus and 4 shorts will participate in an industry programme designed to propel the projects to the next stage of development.

Twenty-two projects were selected from Dfi’s funding programmes and nine are by independent filmmakers from Qatar were identified through Dfi’s outreach with the local industry. There is an emphasis on supporting first- and second-time filmmakers.

“This has been designed to compliment everything we do year round, whether the educational workshops, the financial grants, the Ajyaal festival,” commented Dfi CEO Fatma Al Remaihi. “We want these filmmakers to get to the next level. Every aspect of this event is geared towards giving these first and second-time filmmakers access to the knowledge, inspiration and development opportunities that will allow them to move ahead in their careers.
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Mexican actor joins lists of ‘masters’ for Dfi’s inaugural Qumra event, which will see 31 projects from 29 countries involved.

Mexican actor, director and producer Gael Garcia Bernal has joined the list of ‘masters’ for the Doha Film Institute’s inaugural Qumra event, running March 6-11.

The masters previously reported in December are Abderrahmane Sissako, Leila HatamiCristian Mungiu and Danis Tanović. “They represent different regions and different types of cinema, they all have mastered their craft,” Dfi CEO Fatma Al Remaihi told Screen. “But they are also all passionate to share their experience to help the next generation.”

Dfi has announced the 31 projects from 29 countries selected for Qumra, including 23 narrative features, four feature documentaries and four short films. There are 22 projects who are supported by Dfi and a further nine from Qatari independent filmmakers.

A total of 19 of the projects are in development with the rest in post production.

Mexican multihyphenate Gael Garcia Bernal will be among masters at the inaugural edition of the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra event dedicated to fostering first and second works from around the world for which 31 projects have now been picked.

Besides being a movie star, Bernal is also a director and an indie producer. Palestinian auteur Elia Suleiman, who is Qumra’s artistic advisor, praised him as “the culmination of all of our needs in one person.” “Gael is humble, interesting, clever. As a producer, he’s interested in the young generation just like we are,” Suleiman enthused.

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